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Siu Nim Tao Wikipedia

Siu Nim Tao (Traditional Chinese character|Traditional Chinese: 小念頭; Simplified Chinese character|Simplified Chinese: 小念头; pinyin: xiăo ni?n t?u; Jyutping: siu2 nim6 tau4; Yale Romanization#Cantonese|Yale: si? nihm ta?h; literally means little thought/idea) is a practice routine of Wing Chun, its first "kung fu form|form".

It is practiced following five major principles:

• kim sut ("knees in")

• lok ma ("lower the stance")

• ting yu ("tuck the hips under")

• dung tao ("head erect")

• mai jahng ("elbows in")

All the basic hand and leg movements used in Wing Chun are contained in Siu Nim Tao, although the leg movements are reduced to their most elementary components during the opening of the stance at the beginning of the form. These movements are combined into a fighting system in the Chum Kiu set.

The form trains many things:

• keeping the center line

• keeping the body still while moving the arms correctly

• providing a stable state to return to while executing wing chun

• applying the elbow energy correctly

• breathing correctly

Great emphasis is put on relaxation while performing Siu Nim Tao.
Siu Nim Tao can be used as a meditation exercise.

Category:Chinese martial arts terms
Category:Wing Chun

Last Modified:   2005-04-13